


Is It Two Years, Too Late?

by sugar_free_sweet



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action/Adventure, M/M, Milkshakes, New Beginnings, Post Season 6, Slice of Life, imagined season 7, klance, ongoing work, space 7/11
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 23:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14943680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugar_free_sweet/pseuds/sugar_free_sweet
Summary: The Castle is destroyed, but Voltron is still alive. And now they're headed to Earth.Keith's now two years older than he used to be. Lance isn't exactly sure what that means for the rest of them. Or what it means for him.Coran realizes he might have family in Lotor's rescue camp. Krolia is suspicious of Galra activity on Earth. Allura finds herself with Alteans in need of leadership. Hunk is excited to bring Voltron to family dinner. Pidge tries to find a new place at the Garrison. Romelle is discovering the Universe. Shiro just wants a vacation.A round of milkshakes for everyone!





	Is It Two Years, Too Late?

Time works differently in space. That was a concept Lance understood, or at least, attempted to. Pidge explained it once, and Hunk tried breaking down the physics for him, but nothing really stuck. Space was weird! And that was all he felt like he needed to know. Allura and Coran had the Teladuv for wormholes, the Paladins had their Lions for flying, and with the Coalition and Lotor taking up most of their time, Lance hadn’t needed to think about time as a concept.

The reconstruction of the Galra Empire was happening so quickly that time didn’t seem to pass at all. But just last week, after he’d put on a face mask and briefly checked himself out in the mirror, he noticed how long his hair was getting. He carded the fingers on his free hand through the ends, “m-word” be damned. And had he grown an inch or was it his imagination?

Pidge had estimated that for them, maybe over a year and a half had passed. Hunk argued a little more, but they eventually settled on something between the two over food goo. That had been when Shiro—Clone Shiro, he added to himself, chest tightening—had come back to them. And how long had it been since then?

Kaltenecker mooed a bit from next to him in the cabin. “Hey, girl,” Lance said, reaching up a gloved hand to scratch behind her ears. “It won’t be too much longer. Just, aw man, REMEMBER WHAT I SAID ABOUT A DESIGNATED CRAP PILE, OKAY?”

The cow mooed again, looking Lance straight in the eyes.

“Yeah,” he said, “Whatever. But I’m not cleaning it!”

“You’re the one who wanted a pet cow in the first place,” he heard a voice laugh over the coms.

“Pidge, I’ll have you know that Kaltenecker is more than a pet, she’s a very good friend, aren’t you, Kaltenecker?”

“A friend,” Hunk added, “who makes delicious milkshakes. Ergo, the best friend.”

“My best friend is a cow,” said Lance. “Eh, a little unexpected, but not unwelcome.”

“We may not have the stables anymore,” Allura quickly added, as if the destruction of the Castle was still sinking in, “but you should still clean up after your...friend. Without the Teladuv, it will be a while yet until we reach Earth.”

Earth. How much time had passed back home on Earth? Lance shrugged his shoulders and sunk back further in the Red Lion’s pilot chair. They would find out eventually, he guessed. Just seeing the beach again, feeling the rain on his skin, hugging Abuelita and Veronica and Luis and Marco...and Mom...

How long had it been since he’d seen Mom?

“The next time we land for supplies, I’d like to take a look at your cow,” said a new voice. Krolia. Keith’s mom. Still so, so weird. “There haven’t been any more Galra scavengers to Earth since I left. I’d like to know how a bovine got itself stuck at a ‘spacemall.’”

“Aw, Kaltenecker, she knows your origin story!” Lance beamed. “Speaking of origin story, do you mind if—”

Someone cleared their throat at the other end of the coms. “Maybe another time,” said Keith. “There’s an asteroid belt up ahead, so be on the lookout for rock particles or even Galra outposts—without Lotor, the factions are definitely going to be warring, which makes Voltron—”

“Public enemy number one,” said Hunk. “Again. Can’t we just go around the belt?”

“This is the fastest way back home,” said Pidge. “According to Green’s calculations, any other route either has a huge Galra presence or would add days to our trip.”

“Your planet is in a completely different galaxy,” Coran added. “At this rate, we’ll be lucky to make it there in...hmm… I’d say half a phoeb? Maybe a couple of movements?”

“That sounds right,” said Pidge. “Guess you’ll just have to keep up with Kaltenecker until then, Lance.”

There was so much about time that didn’t make sense to him. Particularly how suddenly, out of the blue, Keith shows up with 1) his Mom, 2) an Altean, and 3) a cosmic wolf/pet/dog/whatever it was? Lance found himself looking up, or at least directly across, at a Keith that was at least two years older. It was creepy! How could Keith age so much, grow so much taller, and heck, even gain noticeable pounds of muscle, and for Lance to still be, well, Lance?

How much more catching up would Lance have to do? It was irony, pure comedic irony. Something that he might laugh about if Keith hadn’t pushed past him like a man on a mission and totally ignore him after two years.

Maybe that’s where the sting was. Even though it had been months for Voltron, it had been years for Keith, and the only Paladin Keith seemed to care about was Shiro.

Lance didn’t blame him for that. They’d always been close, like when Shiro was taking Keith under his wing and appointing him Voltron’s new leader in case anything happened to him. And Keith had definitely stepped up to the plate and, well, knocked it out of the park.

Keith was two years older, totally connected with his Lion, taller, stronger, and even was acting like a better leader.

But where did that leave Lance? Would he always be stuck in the past, forever two years behind a Paladin he’d already been trying to catch up to?

Whatever. Lance shut off the coms and leaned back in the pilot seat, folding his arms behind his head. “How ya doin’, Kaltenecker?” he said, getting a content “moo” in response. “Great. Great. What do you say we wrestle up some milkshakes for the gang at our next stop? Allura would probably love another one. And maybe one for that new Altean, Whatshername. I wonder if Krolia ever had milkshakes on Earth. I mean, I don’t know how long she was there, but don’t you think that’s the sort of Earth thing you’ve just got to do?”

He rolled in his seat, pulling his legs up. His body still ached from all the damage Voltron took a few days ago, back when they were fighting Lotor in and out of the Quintessence field. The Lions’ cabins had fold-down bunks, but they hardly compared to his bed on the Castle ship. Or at home.

“They’re better than the ones at the Garrison, that’s for sure,” he explained to Kaltenecker. “Hmm… I don’t think they have ones for your size. But you seem pretty comfortable standing, so I’ll take it you’re not that offended.”

Kaltenecker mooed and shook her head.

He sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position. “Right. A cow is my best friend. Thanks for that, Hunk.”

It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

Lance straightened up in his chair and turned the coms back on.

“—and I’m sure they’d love you, and want to braid your hair, and—”

“That sounds lovely, Hunk, but I think we should land at the Garrison to see Pidge’s father first.”

“Okay. Yeah, no, that’s fine. It’s just, you know, if we’re going to Earth, my family would be really excited to meet you all. And they are AMAZING cooks, oh! Allura, you have to try your first Earth food at my house, I call it!”

“But didn’t I already try...milkshakes?”

“Oh. Oh, wow. Your lack of culinary exposure to Earth cuisine kills me some days. I mean REAL food. Like _paifala_ or _oka i'a_. Given the right ingredients, I can cook you a masterpiece that surpasses my space attempts—or should I say successes?”

“He did have a reputation at the Garrison,” said Pidge, “for being the dorm-food Master.”

“Aw, you remember that?” said Hunk.

“I’d like to try my hand at your Earth cuisine,” said Coran. “And maybe add a few of my own Altean spins, twists, and touches!”

“Uh, sure,” said Hunk. He gasped. “You could all come to family dinner! That would be fantastic. It’s settled. You’re coming.”

“After we land at the Garrison, I’d be delighted to come,” said Allura.

“And you’re all invited,” Hunk continued, “And you’re coming. 6pm. Whatever season it is when we get back to Earth. And we’re not going to talk about the battles, okay? It’s family dinner, so we’re just going to talk about...family. And maybe swap funny stories or something.” He paused. “I have a dog, too. Lucy. And I live by this lake, so we could go swimming, or ice-fishing, depending on the season. And this is making me think too much about home so could someone change the topic please?”

The coms fell silent.

“Keith, any more news on the asteroid belt?” Lance held in a breath. He hadn’t directly spoken to the boy since their initial failure of a reunion on the Castle, and now that Keith was two years older, he didn’t know how to approach his once rival, now kind-of-maybe friend. Was their dynamic going to be different now?

“Coming up on the horizon,” Keith replied. “Once we get through the belt, it looks like there’s a fueling station a couple of vargas away. We can pick up supplies there. 

“So, like a space 7/11,” said Pidge.

“That’s one thing I’ve missed,” said Lance. “Life just isn’t the same without a Slurpee on the beach.”

“That,” said Hunk. “We’re doing that, too. I don’t care if it’s winter, we are taking our Lions and we are finding a beach.”

“What’s it like?”

Lance almost choked, scaring Kaltenecker. “WHAT’S IT LIKE? Keith, please tell me I’ve told you about Varadero before.”

“Sorry, guess you haven’t mentioned it much.”

Or maybe Keith hadn’t been around enough to hear all the times Lance doesn’t shut up about it.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Okay, if we’re having family dinner at Hunk’s, then we’re absolutely stopping by Varadero beach. Keith, if you haven’t seen a beach, then Varadero is a perfect first. It’s got everything you need: white sand, palm trees, water the color of the brightest blue you’ll ever see, and man, that smell. It’s salt and sun and whatever’s cooking at the tourist-y restaurants and food stalls. The sun, warm on your skin, and the water—”

“Sorry Lance, here comes the belt,” said Pidge.

Lance shook his head. Hunk was right, now wasn’t the time to get nostalgic. He had to concentrate to avoid all the chunks of frozen rock headed his way.

The Lions moved forwards in silence. The asteroids were all around them, suspended in space. Lance hated belts like this. You couldn’t tell which way was up or down, so focusing on your position was incredibly important.

After a while, his eyelids started to droop. It was taking so long. Lance needed a good stretch, and badly. Whoop, gotta maneuver around that pesky little asteroid. There were so many on his display screen.

“What do you say, Kaltenecker? Should I start naming them, or will I grow too attached?”

And maybe a little bit more sleep. Yeah, that sounded nice. Maybe a 30 tick eye-rest.

“ARGGG!”

Lance shot bolt upright.

“How big is this belt?!”

“Pidge, you’re the one who said this was the best way to get to Earth,” said Hunk.

“Well maybe I didn’t picture it being this big, okay!”

“Looks like we’re almost through,” said Keith. “We’ll get through this, then take a break at the fueling station.”

“And maybe a nap,” added Lance.

“Yeah,” said Keith, “something like that—”

“Keith, on your left!”

The Black Lion dodged the blast just in time before the asteroid behind it exploded into pieces.

“It’s an old Galra drone,” said Krolia. “We can’t give away our position to any of the factions.”

“On it,” said Allura, coming up from behind the drone and firing.

“Are there any more?” asked Lance.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” said Pidge, “But they could be cloaked.”

“If there’s one, there’s probably others,” said Krolia. “Which means that someone is hiding something.”

“Or trying to trap someone,” added Allura.

“But what’s so special about the asteroid belt?” asked Lance. “I mean, there’s nothing around here for miles.”

“We’re on a popular trade route,” said Coran. “I bet this area attracts all sorts of activity—criminal or otherwise.”

“But it shot at me!” said Keith.

“Yeah, Keith’s right, I mean, wouldn’t it make more sense to, like, fry a ship’s systems then take it out altogether if you’re going to rob it?”

“Like I said,” Krolia continued, “someone in the Empire must have something valuable hidden somewhere around here to warrant that standard drone.”

“Maybe it’s left over from Zarkon’s reign?” suggested Allura.

“Even so, we only found one,” said Pidge. “Whoever is in charge of it might notice it lost its signal.”

“But will they know that Voltron’s behind it?” asked Lance. “Probably not, right?”

“Look, the belt ends up ahead,” said Keith. “Let’s focus on getting to the fueling station and go on from there. The Lions need time to recharge.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Lance. He could feel exhaustion settling in, the cramp in his legs growing steadily more painful as he steered his Lion away from the last few asteroids and into empty, open space.

On a whim, he opened up a private com to the Black Lion. Keith and Krolia’s faces immediately popped up on the screen.

“Uh...yes?” asked Keith.

“Hey! So, um, I wasn’t kidding about the whole origin story. I’d love to hear about it sometime. And, well, basically the last two years? For you two, I mean. And your...dog? Or cosmic wolf or whatever, which is infinitely cooler. Maybe in exchange for some Varadero beach stories?” He sighed. “I know they’re probably not as exciting, but one time Veronica—”

Keith smiled and Lance felt a little lighter. “That sounds great. I’d love to catch up sometime. It’s been...yeah. It’s been a while. Maybe when we get to the fuel station.”

“Yeah. Or you know, something like that. Whatever works.” Was talking with Keith supposed to sound like he was scheduling an appointment? “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he settled with.

“Same.”

“I mean, I did _die_ , so I’m glad you’re glad.”

“What… wait, WHAT?”

“Story exchange, fuel station. See ya then, Mullet!”

Lance shut off the coms and Keith and Krolia’s concerned faces faded from his viewscreen. This shouldn’t be so awkward. _He_ shouldn’t be so awkward. They were Voltron! Legendary Defenders of the Universe, small talk should be the least of his worries.

If anything, he should be worrying about the small, steady red light beaming from a metal diamond attached to the underside of an asteroid, which, as the Paladins made their way to the fuel station, shimmered into existence.  

//////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

It was, as Hunk later commented, a mix between a 7/11 and an international airport. Stripes of bright neon lights in yellows, pinks, light blues and purples decorated the walls and ceiling, while a relatively clean while tiled floor stretched on for as far as the eye could see. Coran was pleased to see the fueling station had been updated in the past 10,000 years, while Romelle stared at everything in sight with wide, curious eyes. There hadn’t been time for introductions back on the Castle, so Lance wasn’t exactly sure how to approach the new Altean. She was pretty, with long blonde hair braided in a crown on her head and flowing into two parts down her back. But Lance was too tired to flirt. He didn’t even want to; that was new. It just didn’t seem to matter with everything going on, which hadn’t stopped him before, but things were different now.

Still. He should probably say something to her. “If you think this is cool, you should see Earth!”

“I think I’d be amazed at anything,” she said, looking around. “There’s so much life. I can’t believe Lotor kept this from us.”

Right. The Altean cult Lotor created. Or “saved.” Whichever way you look at it. 

“He kept many things from us,” said Allura, walking up to them. “But I assure you. The Alteans will be in good hands from now on. And Lotor is gone.”

“Good,” said Romelle. “It’s a bit...strange. We haven’t had a ruler in so long. Besides Lotor, I suppose. Are you going to lead us, Princess Allura?”

Lance turned to Allura, whose face almost fell.

“I… As the daughter of King Alfor, it is my duty to the Alteans. If you’ll have me.”

Romelle smiled slightly. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say that you’re definitely no Lotor. We’ll need strong leadership once everyone discovers his lies.”

“You’d be great at that,” said Lance, putting a hand on Allura’s shoulder. “Princess Allura, no longer the last of her kind, doing a bomb job at ruling the Alteans, I can totally see it!”

“You think so?”

“Heck yeah!” He hung an arm around both Alteans' shoulders, “Now who’s up for a milkshake? Courtesy of my buddy Hunk, who reconfigured the space Slushee machine, and my best friend Kaltenecker.”

“Oh Romelle, you’ll love it!” said Allura. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted. Like juniberry, but sweeter and lighter…”

Lance beamed. “To the food court!”

As the trio left the hanger’s lobby, Coran, Keith, and Krolia stayed behind, making sure the Lions’ cloaking devices lasted until they were able to recharge.

“Pidge is a wonderful technician,” Coran was explaining. “Even the average Galran sentry would only see a rusty pile of junk. No one in their right mind would steal these! The cloaking should hold out, but we shouldn’t stay here for too long.”

“I’ll stay with the Lions,” Krolia offered. “There’s a chance I might be easily recognized.”

“I’ll stay with you,” said Keith.

Krolia frowned. “Wouldn’t you rather get a milkshake with your friends?”

“The Lions need to be protected. I’m the team leader now, and besides, Shiro is still—”

“Shiro will be fine and so will the Lions. Why don’t you go join your friends in the food court, just for a little bit.”

“But…”

Coran turned to him. “You might consider it another team bonding exercise. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Ah, okay. Point made. Come on, Comet.”

The cosmic wolf yipped once, then followed Keith out of the hanger. 

“I don’t mean to pry,” Coran started, “But wouldn’t that wolf cause more of a rucas than a wanted Glara?”

Krolia smirked. “Keith needs this. We spent two years together on that whale. He got…lonely. And I started to realize that maybe he had been lonely for a long time. A lot of that is on me. Pushing him in the right direction...that, I can do.”

“Ah,” said Coran, settling on a metallic bench near the Lions, “as I recall, the other Paladins always did used to joke that he was the ‘loner’ of the group. Whether there’s any truth to that isn’t my place to say, but it seems like he’s found his place now.”

“I think to a certain extent he resented that,” said Krolia, stretching her legs beside him. “Being called a loner. From what I understand, he was a shy boy, but one who was always alone, with few people who believed in him. He got into fights too easily. He grew to be hot-tempered. But those were only precautionary measures, to protect himself.”

“You know, I’m very glad he found you. And if I may say, he has loads of people who believe in him now. Paladins take care of each other, encourage each other. I’ve seen some of them go from bickering one moment to the best of friends the next.”

Krolia chuckled. “And I’m glad he found a family even without me. He needs them right now.” 

They fell into silence as ships entered and left the hanger, and aliens of all sorts walked past. To any onlooker, they were simply oddly-dressed Puigan pirates. Or something like that, according to Coran. 

“Kaltenecker isn’t very old,” said Krolia. “She was either raised in space or was taken recently.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Krolia admitted. “But from the little knowledge I collected about Earth’s animals during my time there, I can tell that she’s very healthy. Which leads me to believe that she was born there.”

An alien with a long, thin white neck and small blue feet peeking out from a red robe walked by, and Krolia sunk into the bench.

“I have a hunch that the Galra might already have scouts on Earth,” whispered Krolia. “They might have stopped looking for the Blue Lion, but Earth’s resources could still be of use. I don’t know what their plan is, but one thing I know is that that cow and whatever equipment Hunk and Pidge used to make their video game shouldn’t show up at shops like Terra. In fact, Terra shouldn’t exist. I thought Keith’s father and I made sure the Galra wouldn’t come back, but…”

“Ah, I see. You’re thinking your sacrifice has been for naught.”

“Yes.”

“Well, I think you’re wrong there. You did everything you could to stop the Galra. They’re your own people, so I’m sure that must have been difficult. And you did it to save your son—that’s even nobler. After all that Zarkon’s done, I’m surprised that there aren’t more Kaltenekers and _Killbot Phantasm I_ ’s in the Universe. We’ll figure out who’s behind it all, I’m sure of it. But don’t doubt for a second that you did everything you could, and don’t doubt that your sacrifice hasn’t made an enormous impact on the lives of millions. In spite of it all, you’ve also got a boy who’s growing into a strong, determined young man, the leader of the most powerful weapon in the Universe. What’s one Earth cow compared to that?”

Krolia chuckled but said nothing.

“I hope they bring back a milkshake.” Coran turned to her. “They are extremely delightful, have you ever tried one?”

//////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

By the time Keith caught up to the rest of the Paladins, they had already pulled together a few tables and had plenty of milkshakes to go around.

“Keith!”

Keith turned and saw Lance standing up. He was wearing his usual long-sleeve shirt and jacket but it had been so long since Keith had seen casual wear that it almost took his breath away.

"Oh my god, is that your dog?"

Comet yipped once, disappearing and then materializing in front of Lance. 

"OH MY GOD."

"It's a cosmic wolf," Keith explained as Comet began jumping up and licking Lance's face. "But I tamed him...I think."

"He's beautiful," said Allura. "What his name?"

"Comet," Keith replied, and Comet materialized next to him, sitting at his feet.

"That's so cool!" said Hunk, hands going to his face. "Do we all get space pets now? Oh! I call a space iguana, do those exist?"

Romelle raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

"But Hunk, what would Lucy say?" asked Lance.

"Lucy doesn't have to know."

Lance laughed and pulled up a chair, motioning to Keith. “Sit yourself down, buddy, and feast your eyes on the best invention made by man.”

“And Kaltenecker,” Hunk added.

Lance grinned. “How could I forget?” He handed Keith a cup of the creamy white mixture and stuck a straw in the center. “To prevent milkstaches,” he explained, then took his seat opposite Keith, next to Allura and Romelle.

"Thanks," said Keith, eyeing the glass as he sunk into the chair, Comet stretching out on the tile next to him.

Hunk leaned over, watching him intently.

Keith turned. “What?”

“Nothing,” said Hunk. “Just, you know, making sure you like it. You do, right?" 

“Well I will once you all stop staring at me.”

“Aw, there’s the Keith we know and love. It’s been too long, man.” Lance shook his head. “Too long. Can I get a milkshake toast here?” He raised his glass, motioning for the others to do the same. “To our fearless leader, to the cool dude with the unfortunate mullet, to the—Hunk, why aren’t you raising your glass?”

“Sorry, I thought you meant ‘milkshake toast’ and got really confused and then you all already had your glasses raised and then it seemed awkward to join in late.”

“Raise it man, just raise your glass! As I was saying… Unfortunate mullet…”

“What are we doing?” said Pidge, walking over from a mini display table.

“We’re raising our glasses,” said Allura.

“It’s a toast,” Lance explained.

“Oh,” said Pidge. She took off her glasses and raised them in the air. “To gender-neutral alien bathrooms and weird bidets!”

“HGGGPH!”

“Oh my god, Keith, you’re getting your milkshake all over the table.”

“Holy shit,” laughed Keith, reaching for napkins, trying to control his heaving. “The toast, the toast, just get on with it.”

“Somebody likes praise,” Lance smirked. “Okay then. To one of the few Paladins able to pilot the Black Lion, to the best damn fighter I’ve had the pleasure of training with, to the nicest Galra-human hybrid around—”

“Lance, he’s not a plant.”

“Thank you Pidge, and with that, to our friend Keith, leader of,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “Voltron.”

“What?” said Keith.

“Voltron,” Lance repeated louder, “I’m trying to keep it low-key. Ah, basically, here’s TO KEITH!”

“To Keith!” the others echoed. 

“I say ‘Vol,’ you say ‘tron,’ ‘Vol’...”

“Tron!”

“Vol...tron?”

“It is so good to have you back, buddy.”


End file.
